Guard for electric switches



Dec,a M i923.

A. sAMBoRsKY GUARD vFOR EI'JECTRIG SWITCHES Filed May 5. 192; '2 sheets-sheet 1 @au M., i923.

' A. SAMBORSKY' GUARD FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed May '5,

1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 0 .W M ||l 7 ,of HMH- Q 4 6 ad 2/J a, f M, w w wl l 6 m W 4 0 ,p o 9 9 L -1, W

Patented Dec. ll, ll923..

entranti fr p than

ANDREW SAMBORSKY, 0.7L" ST. LGUIS, MISSOURI.

GUARD FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

Application filed May 5,

To all tif/7mm t may concern.'

Bc it known that l, ANDREW SAMBoRsnY, z citizen of the United States, residing at hlt. Louis; State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in s Electric Switches, of which the ing is a specilication.

invention has relation to improvein guards for electric switches, and inlthe novel details of construction lolly set- Ytorth in the speciliration and pointed out in the claims.

rthe object ift the present invention is to le a guard that will completely house tch, the handle being the only part and that operable through the housing. il further object is to so A,iletely enclose the line wires leading to switch that it will be impossible to tap nie and steal electricity. Further obe to provide a guard that may be dief... to existir j switches without modiig their construction; one that iis simple; one that eliminates the danger ot' tires from ing ot the switch; and one possessing thc-r and other advantages better apparthe ont from a detailed description of the inon in connection with the accompanyifi drawings vin which- Figure l is a top plan of the guard with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a iront elevation of the same with parts broken away; Fig. 3 is' a side elevation; Fig. a is a horizontal cross-section of the front of the guard taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view looking at the inside of the housing; Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the switch with the housing removed; Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 7 7 of Fig. to 2; Fig. 8 lis a face view or the shutter through which the switch handle operates, the shutter plates being disposed for a raised position oi the switch handle; and Fig. 9 is view similar to Fig. S with the shutter plates disposed for a lowered position oic the switch handle.

Referring to the drawings; l represents a switch block or board having a knife switch i? mounted thereon, the line wires a; @leading to contacts 8, 3 and wires l), l) leading to contacts il; 4. The switch has a hand e 5 secured to the cross-piece 6, and ismounted on an insulating block 7 secured to the 1921. Serial No. 466,934.

switch board l by screws 9. The parts thus far described are old and well understood in the art.

In order that one may not be shocked by touching the switch members l provide a guard entirely enclosing` the switch, said guard comprising a pair or" securing walls l; l0 provided with base portions 1l, ll

' which are slippedunder the block 7 after which the screws 9 are screwed down tightly to hold the walls l() in place. A housing l2 having an elongated opening@ to receive the switch handle and an insulating lining 13; placed over the switch7 the side walls o, c of the housing coming inside the securing walls l0; 10; andthe housing is anchored to the. securing walls by a bolt lelwhich passes through the securing walls l0 and side walls and lining 01" the housingi the bolt having a wing nut l5 passed over its threaded end to secure the parts in place In order that the housing l2 may not be removed without it being lino-wn a seal is provided comprising a wire 16 passed through a hole in the bolt la and wing nut l5, and also passed through an opening in an ear 17 in one of the securing walls l0. The ends of the seal are soldered into a slug 18. Since the walls l0 are clamped beneath the bloclr 'T and the housing is fixed to the walls l0 it is impossible to remove the housing without first removing the bolt ll and breaking the seal.

The opening O of the housing must needs be ot considerable length to allow for the throw ot the switch handle 5 in opening and closing the switch, consequently some means must be provided for closing this opening and keeping it closed while the switch handle is being moved. This is done as follows: Operating in grooves 19 between the lining 13 and front wall of the housing are a series ot overlapping plates 20, 2l; 22, 23, provided with openings o; o, o, 0 progressively decreasing in size, the opening` 0 in the inside plate 23 being just. large enough to receive the switch handle 5. The edges of' the plates 20 and 2l are flanged over to maintain the plates in nesting relation. As the switch handle 5 is pulled down it will move the plate 23 with it until the handle strikes the edge 0H when the plate 2Q will yalso he moved downwardly as lill) will likewise the vplates 2l and so with a continued movement of the handle until the switch is wide open. In closing the switch the saine `operation will take place upwardly. The .position of the plates when the switch is closed isv shown in Fig. 8, and

when it iseopen is shown in Fig. 9. f The object of having a plurality of plates, ar# ranged to telescope, as it were, is tov permit of a greater switch throw in shorter limits of shutter movement. y v v The housing is provided with notches n to permit the wires to enter, and in order to close thesenotch openings strips 24 and 25 are disposed between the edges of the lining 13. and the housing wall, the former being recessed at r to receive the end tongues 20, 21, s2, 23 @if the plates` so, si, 2s, Q3.

kStrips 26 and 27 yare disposed just inside the conductors to the switch for the purpose of stealing electricity. l

Having described my invention, l claim:

i. ln combination with a switch board and an Aelectric switchy mounted thereon, a

switch guard adapted to be positioned `over the switch and enclose the same, means for securing the housing to the switch board, one wall ot the housing having an opening through which the switch handleis freely operable, a series of plates operable by the switch handle in intimate relation with said wall of the housing, said plates being provided with openings".successively decreasingl in size so as to permit -a given switch throw within narrow limitsfol' the combined plate f movement. f l y l 2. A- switch guard comprising a housing enclosing the switch, the switch handleoperating through an opening in the housing, and a series of `overlapping plates positioned over said opening, said plates havingt sliding movement relative to one another to maintain said opening closed during movement et the switch handle.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailx my signature. V

ANDREW siiMBoRsKv. 

